June 2016 Slope Eats & Drinks: What Opened, What Closed, And What’s Coming Soon

The heat showed up quickly late last week, and we have some openings and “coming soons” that seem to have come out of nowhere as well. We’ve even seen some surprising progression by a few places that we weren’t sure would actually come through.

And we see continued languishing, too.

So here goes. There’s a lot coming your way. And if you’d like to catch up on the previous months, check out our March 2016 edition, April 2016 edition and May 2016 edition.

What’s Open

Butterfunk Kitchen (1295 Prospect Avenue near Greenwood Avenue)
This self-described “Soul Food Restaurant & Juke Joint” now rests its bones smack-dab in the middle of Windsor Terrace after opening in April. We were very impressed with our first visit, and the crispy deviled eggs (see aesthetically-pleasing photo above) with egg yolk mousse and cracklin’ greens ($8) won the night as far as starters. Can eggs be luscious? Why yes, yes, they can. Keep in mind the ‘Funk is cash only, and that alcohol will start being served in the very near future. Also, look out for the live music that comes with the ‘Funk territory.

Hanki Everyday Korean (226 7th Avenue near 3rd Street)
With the background of K-Pop streaming from the speakers, this new “everyday Korean” place opened on May 7 with a solid menu. The restaurant mixes the fast food and sit down dining experience. Customers order their meals at the front register, and then have a seat in the back until the order is ready. We feel that Hanki is a singular experience in the neighborhood, serving as an excellent lunch stop, or a quick and satisfying dinner.

Josephina Tacos (284 3rd Avenue between President and Carroll Streets – backyard of The Pines)
The impressive backyard of Gowanus’ The Pines gains a pop-up Mexican place that debuted a few weeks back. According to the New York Times, “the market’s offerings will include New Age-inspired products from upstate — desert stones, indigo-dyed knits, tonics and elixirs — and freshly made foods from the taco stand, from salsas to ‘Gun Powders,’ a super-food supplement made daily, to boost smoothies, tea or water.” This could be one of the new joys of relaxed al fresco dining this summer.

Pig Beach (480 Union Street between Nevins and Bond Streets)
Speaking of al fresco dining, Pig Beach should be one of your summer BBQ and outdoor drinking destinations. We will soon put out our review. The summary: we are delighted with it. The spacious outdoors meat & booze place which opened this past weekend is on the sunny banks of the Gowanus. You may have eaten here last year when it was a pop-up at Swan Dive (same space). An employee tells us that Pig Beach essentially outbid Swan Dive for the space, and it’s now all theirs. Brooklyn Magazine writes that Pig Beach is an “unlikely achievement indeed, for a group of guys that notably cut their teeth in the elite world of fine dining. And yet, they’ve happily traded in their sous vide machines for smokers once again, in order to serve baby back ribs, hot links, grilled brisket burgers, pork shoulder, and short rib chili to t-shirted, flip-flopped, sauce-stained beer-swiggers for the next three months.”

Very Juice Bar (211 Prospect Park West near 16th Street)
Oh did Very Juice sit dormant for some time. The original location at 422 Ave P in Midwood has been open since September 2014, and the Windsor Terrace outpost finally opened in early May. Very Juice joins the forthcoming Glatt kosher Bison & Bourbon (191 7th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues) in keeping Shabbat hours by closing on Saturdays in an area not known for its kosher-keeping neighborhood. We were impressed with our first taste of their juicy treats.

What’s Closed:

Los Pollitos II (148 5th Avenue at Douglass Street)
The Mexican place closed on Sunday, April 24 after serving its well-known rotisserie chicken for 16 years. Los Pollitos II made the announcement via Facebook. The restaurant’s departure comes after a series of temporary closures throughout its history, including two seizures for non-payment of taxes in 2011 and 2013. The Mexican place served a mean Coconut Mojito, and we wish the owners our very best. It will soon be replaced by Wild, a gluten-free, farm-to-table restaurant specializing in pizza. (Read down for more about Wild).

Olive Vine Café (54 7th Avenue St. John’s Place and Lincoln Place)
This small venue / take-out place served Middle Eastern until closing last month. The same owners still run Black Iris (288 Dekalb Avenue), which is their Fort Greene restaurant. An employee at Black Iris told us there were some disputes with the landlord, although it was to do with a heater in the space rather than the rent price. Black Iris is BYOB just live Olive Vine, and has a very similar menu if you are missing the menu.

What’s Opening Soon (or not so soon) and What’s Confusing

2 Duck Goose (400 4th Avenue at 6th Street)
This Cantonese restaurant announced a temporarily closing late last year, however founder/partner Kay Ch’ien says she is focusing on “re-working the concept” of the restaurant and plans to re-open in mid-2016. In addition to the type of cuisine that will be served, there will be a new chef at the helm. Carole Greenwood — the restaurant’s second chef in their short history — will not be returning. We’ll keep you posted when plans firm up.

Bison & Bourbon (191 Seventh Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
Gowanus is about to go glatt kosher with this new sweeping place, which replaces The Bahche, a Turkish restaurant which opened in the Fall of 2013. The Bahche closed earlier this year — however former owner Ersin Vurgun is now on board with the new kosher venture. “The kosher market does not have a place anywhere in Brooklyn or New York where you can just come to the bar and have a drink,” says owner David Shagalov. “We’re going to have an impressive cocktail list. There’s a lounge and outdoor space — it’s a perfect match.” However the restaurant is not only set up to attract those who keep kosher. “This destination is not only for Jewish people,” says Shagalov. “We’re going to keep this place fun. You won’t find better customer service than you will here.” Expect Bison & Bourbon to open in the next two weeks.

Blue Bottle (203 7th Avenue, at the corner of 3rd Street)
Blue Bottle still touts its tradition of getting coffee to customers 48 hours after being roasted. We’ve been waiting for some time for the cafe to open, and we still don’t have a definitive date. They are known for their New Orleans-style iced coffee, with chicory in the blend.

Chipotle (185 7th Avenue, between 1st and 2nd Streets)
You probably don’t need us to tell you about the massive burritos that will come with the opening of Chipotle. Rumors of the Mexican chain coming to 7th Avenue skipped around a bit, but it seems solid now, and that’s pretty clear by the work being done in the space over the past month. Meanwhile, you can familiarize yourself with their nutrition calculator to count those calories.

Gristmill (289 5th Street between 1st and 2nd Streets)
Brick oven pizzeria Brooklyn Central closed last summer, and this new “wood-fired restaurant” will be replacing it soon, although we don’t have an exact opening date. We dug the outdoors of the former space, so that is something to look forward to once again. Brownstoner writes, “the new restaurant has Park Slope native Jake Novick-Finder at the helm. Novick-Finder has served as a pastry cook at Manhattan’s Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Café, and pastry chef at Ribelle in Brookline, Massachusetts; in 2013 he made Zagat’s 30 Under 30 list for his work there.”

Il Sogno (310 5th Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets)
This new Italian place will replace the Indian restaurant Baluchi’s, which closed in March 2015. The owners of Il Sogno went in front of Community Board 6 in late April for a liquor license application, so we’re pretty sure the pasta and vino combination will happen here. An opening date is not yet available.

HENRI’s Backyard (279 5th Avenue at 1st Street)
HENRI’s on Fifth‘s owner Binh Douglas is working away as he readies to open his second restaurant HENRI’S Backyard for early June. The address may be familiar to the beer and pickle lovers — many in the neighborhood had a briney broken heart back in February when it was announced that Pickle Shack would close up shop. “A lot of times, when you take over a place, people are in love with it, or they didn’t like it at all,” says Douglas while giving us a tour of the renovations. “People loved Pickle Shack, and I do want to pay tribute to what it was.” So along with Vietnamese/German fusion, big pretzels, and classic banh mi with German sausage, there will be vegan items. Oh, and beer. Lots and lots of beer.

Juice Press (207 7th Avenue at 3rd Street)
Juice Press is New York-based chain that’s moving into the corner storefront. Brooklyn already has locations in Brooklyn Heights and Williamsburg. Along with juices, the place offers up smoothies, cleanses, “super foods,” and … the “Guru smoothie.” According to DNAinfo, “the $15 Guru smoothie is a 510-calorie, 16-ounce ‘meal replacement’ made of frozen fruit and ‘superfoods.’ It initially sold for $18, but Juice Press founder Marcus Antebi lowered the price in 2011.” Juice Press replaces Yogurtland, which closed May 2015.

Ki Sushi (282 Flatbush Avenue near Prospect Place)
More sushi is coming, as this new place will be the second outpost of the Boerum Hill original, according to DNAinfo. “Excellent sashimi ranges from dark sea eel to octopus tako. For rolls, the Ki is an exceptionally good combo of fish, crunch, spice, and avocado topped with two kinds of caviar and edible gold leaf,” writes New York Magazine. We will get back to you with an opening date when it becomes available.

The Unnamed Sushi Bar (166 Flatbush Avenue, between 5th Avenue and Pacific Street)
So intriguing that it doesn’t yet have a name, this new restaurant is being billed as a “speakeasy sushi bar” by the owners of the Michelin-starred Sushi Azabu in TriBeCa. The Barclays Center area is about to get quite a one-two-three punch of sushi when you factor in last year’s opening of Wasan (440 Bergen Street, between 5th and Flatbush Avenues).

Wild (148 5th Avenue at Douglass Street)
Construction is well under way for a restaurant which will soon become Wild, a gluten-free, farm-to-table restaurant specializing in pizza. The new culinary neighbor will also serve a full menu — including gluten-free chicken parmesan and a “dessert pizza” as well. Owner Marina Charny plans to open the third Wild in early June. This restaurant is a franchise, and includes two other locations. The West Village spot is at 535 Hudson Street, and the other Brooklyn outpost is in Williamsburg (340 Bedford Avenue). We will get back to you with an opening date when it becomes available.

If you notice anything we missed, let us know in the comments below. And as always, if you see some changes in businesses in the neighborhood, shoot us tips at editor@bklyner.com.